Basket manufacture



NOV, 22, 1949 J, G L 2,488,715

BASKET MANUFACTURE Filed July 5, 1947 2 SheBS-Shetit 1 IN V EN TOR.

' J. EGGL' BASKET MANUFACTURE Nov. 22, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1947 Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASKET MANUFACTURE Joseph Eggl, Toledo, Ohio Application July 3, 1947, Serial No. 758,956

8 Claims.

This invention relates to containers more particularly of the basket or hamper type.

An object of this invention is to provide a preformed substantial frame of predetermined size and shape upon which material is woven to complete the structure.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a plurality of pre-formed elements which may be assembled into a variety of sizes and. shapes of containers.

Another object of this invention is to provide a substantial frame susceptible of being substantially or completely submerged within the completed article.

- Another obfect of this invention is to provide a method of assembling a basket frame and covering the same.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an article of commerce comprising a completed frame for a basket or hamper together with a selected supply of strip or cord materials whereby a consumer may finish the container having a predetermined pattern.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a basket or the like embodying a novel construction for the frame; as well as in the completed article, together with an attractive appearance and increased utility.

An additional important object of this invention is to prefabricate a stock of frame elements from which, while comparatively limited in the number of forms, a variety of baskets may be produced embodying a wide range of shapes and sizes.

Other objects and advantages of this invention relating to the arrangement, operation and. function of the related elements of the structure, to various details of construction, to combinations of parts and to economies of manufacture, will be Fig. 3 is a plan view of another form of top frame member such as a circle; I

Fig. 4 is a plan view of still another form of 2 the upper frame member similar to Fig. 2 but having two elongated parallel sides;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper frame member embodying a pair of parallel sides and arced ends;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the top f rame. elements;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of a strip of material, L-

shaped in cross-section, the strip being cut or notched and ready to be folded into a lower frame member;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the completed lowerframe member showing a form of reinforcement therefor;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of the primary stakes or uprights used to assemble the upper and lower frame members into a unit;

Fig. 10 is a plan view through a section of a basket side including one of the primary stakes; Fig. 11 is a view on the line-XIXI, Fig. 1;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of one of the primary stakes showing its assembly with an upper and lower frame member as well as the floor of the basket;

Fig. 13 is a section through a completed handleassembly for the basket;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a basket side showing the assembly of the various elements; and

Fig. 15 is an enlarged side elevation, parts being broken away, of one form of a primary stake, such as used in a straight-side basket. T

This application is a continuation in part of my Patent No. 2,442,998 issued June 8, 1948, for Clothes basket.

The frame The upper frame member comprises an endless hoop providing an inverted channel 20 fabricated from a selection of straight sections 22, of arced sections 2i, or a combination thereof to give a predetermined form to the finished product. These sections may have cut-out regions 26 to facilitate overlapping one as to the other and the overlapping portions are fastened to each other by some suitable fastening means as .nuts and bolts, or may be spot welded as production facilities permit.

The lower frame 28 may be formed from a single length of material having a substantially L- shaped cross-section. One side thereof is lanced or provided with notches '30 and then folded to finished form such as a hoop with the ends fastened together by a weld or other suitable look-- ing means.

In the production of baskets, the lower frame generally has the same geometrical perimeter as the upper frame but of a lesser exterior dimension. However, by this invention, baskets may be produced with the frame members of different shapes as for example an octagonal or other polygonal upper member and a circular lower member or the two members may be of the same outer dimensions to produce a straight-sides container.

The upper and lower frame members are assembled with major stakes or uprights 32 fixed therewith and extending therebetween. These stakes are formed from some substantially rigid material such as steel wire but other materials have been found suitable in certain dimensioned baskets, such as certain plastics which may also be used to mold the upper and lower frame members. Aluminum and various alloys when used in this construction have been found to give a strength factor far beyond the needs for which each basket has been designed.

These: major stakes are distributed at predetermined intervals: about the periphery of the basket, and in polygonal shapes usually at each corner thereof.

Each stake 32 has offset 34 with flattened terminus 36'. This terminus 36 is flattened to a thickness approaching the thickness of the material used in the upper frame member so that the welding problems between the two is reduced. to a minimum. In assembly the terminus is welded or otherwise attached to the base of the channel 20 which has its depending sides or skirts shroud the member-stake. assembly.

The stakes are also provided with hooks or return bends 38 at their lower ends which provide feet for the finished basket. These return bends terminate in flattened offsets 40, matched to the thickness of the material of the lower frame member, and are welded to the underside of the upper or horizontal extent of such members with the other side or depending skirt portion extending downwardly into the bends 38.

The lower frame member may be reinforced with a plurality of strips 4'2 terminally attached to: opposite portions of the frame and centrally inter-woven as to each other.

The reinforced lower frame provides a support for the basket floor or bottom which may be a plate 44 of some suitable material such as linoleum, wood; metal or plastic, such plate being cemented or otherwise fastened to the upper extent of: the lower frames The completed frame comprises a unit with or without the floor and may serve as an article of commerce as such with or without additional materiallto cover or finish the same.

In addition, handles may be added to certain basket types and a satisfactory frame assembly therefor comprises a curved channel element 46 with terminal ears 48 welded at selected locations to'the upper frame member. It is desirable to'have these handle elements of the same dimensionedstock as the upper frame membenthereby giving a balanced appearance to the. finished product.

Finishing This unitary frame construction readily lends itself to a novel method of covering by a wide rangeofmaterials resulting in containers of unusual strength and having novel features of utility.

Preferably, the first step comprises covering the upper frame member. This can be accomplished by a continuous wind 50 thereabout of a ribbon, gimp, or cord material such as weaving fiber. When handles are incorporated, such may be wound first with the termini of the wraps locked within the frame wraps.

Following this frame finish, supplemental comparatively flexible stakes 52 are intermittently spaced between the major stakes 32. These stakes 52 may also be of weaving fiber or of cane or reed and the like. The placing of these stakes may be accomplished by thrusting a short terminal length 54 thereof between two successive wraps of the covering 50, which lengths or ofi'sets rest within the channel 2!]. Suitable tools are available for this operation. The removal of the tool permits the natural squeeze of the wraps to lock such minor stakes in place and this locking may be augmented by placing a fitch or whale 5% about the basket adjacent the underside of the wraps 5G, interweaving the stakes therein.

The sides are then covered. A continuous length of flat weaving stock 58 as a folded fiber or plastic ribbon is wrapped or woven over and under the successive stakes progressing from the upper toward the lower frame member. Patterns may be formed by overlapping one or a plurality of the successive stakes as desired and by the use of contrasting colored stock. This operation continues until the sides are fully covered.

The flexible stakes assume a straightened extent through the sides during this operation and originally cut to have extensions beyond the lower finished basketsides. These extensions may then be formed into a continuous braid 62 as a finish about the lower perimeter of the article.

In baskets designed for holding damp or wet contents such as laundry baskets, the stakes 32' To this end,-

in completely submerging the frame within the coverings- A wide range of baskets may be developed fromthe basic design herein including laundry, storage,. tote, florist, candy and the like containers.

Such baskets may even include barrel shapes which may be accomplished by apredeterminedconfiguration of the stakes.

Itis to be understood that the above detaileddescription of the present invention is intended to disclose an embodiment thereof tothose skilled in the art; but that the invention is not to be construed as limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the" accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. The language used in the specification relating to the operation and function of the elements of the invention is employed for purposes of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims beyond-the require- A typical example of finishing is now described- 755 ments of the prior art.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by United States Letters Patent:

1. In an article of the class described, an upper frame member comprising an endless inverted channel having a predetermined perimeter, a lower frame member comprising a hoop, major stakes extending between and assembling said frame members into a unit, said stakes being attached at one end to the interior of said channel and attached at the opposite end to said lower frame member, minor stakes spaced between said major stakes having offsets disposed within said channel, and a covering for said upper frame wrapped thereabout and locking the offsets therein.

2. A frame for a basket and the like comprising an upper frame member comprising an inverted channel, a lower frame member substantially L-shaped in cross-section, and a connecting stake having an upper terminal offset attached to the inner side of said channel, the other terminal of said stake providing a return bend terminating in a lower offset, said lower frame having one side thereof attached to the lower offset with the other side extending into said return bend.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein the offsets are flattened to a thickness approximating the thickness of the frame member to which each is attached.

4. The structure set forth in claim 2 including a floor member mounted on the lower frame member.

5. A basket comprising an upper frame member providing a channel in its under side, a lower frame member comprising a hoop substantially L-shaped in cross-section with one side extending horizontally inwardly from the other side depending as a skirt, major stakes connecting said frame members, one end of said stakes attached in the channel, said stakes extending therefrom downwardly and about the skirt to have their other ends attached to a side of the lower frame member, a floor mounted on said lower frame member, and material woven about the stakes to form sides for said basket.

6. A basket comprising an upper frame member providing a channel in its under side, a lower frame member comprising a hoop substantially L-shaped in cross-section with one side extending horizontally inwardly from the other side depending as a skirt, major stakes connecting said frame members, one end of said stakes attached in the channel, said stakes extending therefrom downwardly and about the skirt to have their other ends attached to a side of the lower frame member, a floor mounted on said lower frame member, a cover for said upper frame member comprising a winding thereabout, minor stakes positioned by said winding in spaced relation between said major stakes, and material woven about said major and minor stakes to form sides for said basket.

'7. The construction set forth in claim 6 wherein the minor stakes extend beyond the lower perimeter of the woven sides and are fabricated into a trim therefor.

8. A basket comprising an upper frame member of hoop form providing an inverted channel, a lower frame member of hoop form substantially L-shaped in cross-section having one side thereof horizontally extending with the other side depending as a skirt from the exterior thereof, major stakes having offsets welded to the central portion of the channel interior and extending therefrom downwardly and about the lower frame member to terminate in offsets welded to the horizontally extending side of the lower frame member, a covering for the upper frame member comprising a continuously wound strip, minor stakes between the major stakes having offsets disposed in said channel and held in position between adjacent wraps of the main frame covering, a side covering for the basket comprising a strip woven about the stakes, said minor stakes having extensions beyond the lower edge of the side covering, said extensions fabricated into a trim extending about the basket adjacent the skirt portion of the lower frame member, and a floor for the basket mounted on the horizontal extent of the lower frame member.

JOSEPH EGGL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 697,537 Poirot Apr. 15, 1902 1,652,195 Chrisman Dec. 13, 1927 1,712,624 Larsen May 14, 1929 1,744,088 Weber Jan. 21, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 608,105 Germany Jan. 16, 1935 

